Bring The Rain
by Eternal-Explosionist
Summary: The next generation of shinobi has arrived.The best from all villages come to enter, though few are selected.They're considered the opposite to the Akatsuki, the white to their black.Some are drawn to purify the black, seeking atonement. Others revenge...
1. Prologue

_**Bring The Rain**_

Eternal: Hello and welcome to my new series! If you've come across this by luck then its okay, you don't need to worry about anything. It would clear things up if you read my Kisame story _Um...Please Don't Eat Me_ first, but its okay, the past will be highlighted at parts.

This is the next generation of shinobi kind. An orginization was formed by the seven Kages, an opposite to the Akatsuki, which had died down for the time being and they took advantage of that time. Shinobis from all over were coming to join the IA (International Alliances) hundreds tried out, but only the select few could move on and join teams. This story revolves around Team 13, a Team of Chuunins, looked down on by older members.

Prologue

"C'mon! Move it!"

Her breathing was harsh and uneven as she sprinted after her team mates. Her chakra was faultering and she couldn't keep a steady pace. The scenery's colors were starting to blur together, making a collage of warm reds and oranges, seeing as a fire was surrounding them. The flames licked at her pale exposed skin and frayed the edges of her already short hair.

"Reira!" Somebody called her name. Her golden irises looked around, having lost sight of them.

"Guys?!" she said, coughing. She looked all around, seeing nothing but hot flames that seemed to be closer. She squinted but everything was starting to swirl together, she never had good heat tolerance.

"Guys! Where are you?!" She coughed harder and her legs slowed to a stumble.

"Kaisuke?!" No answer. "Taro?!"

_Did they leave me?! Did they leave me behind because they thought I was too weak?!_

"Guys!" she cried out again, falling over upturned earth. "Don't leave me!" She was crying now, but the heat was so intense that her tears were evaporating before they could fall down her face.

"Please don't--" A sharp pain coarsed through her body, due to her inner wound. Black was filling her vision as the heat overwhelmed her senses.

"...leave me..."

With her Teammates

They two boys emerged from the firey forest, panting and gasping for breath. They took refuge beneath a large bolder, near a cliffside. The taller boy had blonde hair that was slightly long, green eyes behind glasses, and a ninja headband tightly around his neck with the Rain Village crest imbedded onto it. His clothes consisted of a dark green muscle tank beneath a black high collared over coat that fell to his knees, with a green design wrapping around the waist, along with black pants and sandels.

The second boy was slightly shorter than the fist. He had a blue hat on, with the edges that fell to his chin, and goggles resting on the bridge, you could also see sections of his black hair, which led to his dark eyes that were highlighted by the noticeable freckles that were dashing across the tops of his cheeks. He wore a gray t-shirt beneath a dark blue jacket that fastened in the front, allowing the lower shirt to be seen, while the rest was long sleeved and a blue color. His pants were long shorts that had cargo pockets, falling past his knees, leaving little exposed skin between the end of the shorts and the tops of his tall boot like sandels that stopped at mid calf. His headband was pinned onto the front of his hat, Takigakure.

"Everyone here?" asked Kaisuke, adjusting his glasses.

"Here" panted Taro, raising his hand slightly. No answer from the female partner.

"Hey, you alright Reira--?" asked Taro, turning around, looking for their comrade. He stood up straight and his eyes darted around, failing to come across her form.

"Reira?!" he called out. He traveled a few steps and sent his chakra out a few dozen meters, searching for her chakra signal.

"Taro, what are you doing?!" demanded Kaisuke, grabbing Taro's shoulder roughly. "Don't waste your chakra! The mission comes first! We need to get to Konoha!--"

"And leave Reira behind?!" asked Taro, angered at the thought. His brown eyes narrowed at the blonde. "Is that what you're getting at Kaisuke?! You want to leave her behind?!" he growled.

"The mission comes first, idiot! Let the weak fall behind--!" Taro jerked his shoulder free and pulled the goggles from the bridge of his hat over his eyes.

"Well then you go be the strong one! You're already freakin' perfect, so it shouldn't be hard to leave your friends behind!" he snapped, while sprinting back into the forest that was alight with hellish flame. Kaisuke closed his eyes in aggravation,

"Idiot..." he grumbled.

... ... ...

"Reira!!" called Taro, jumping from flaming branch to flaming branch. "Reira!!" There was a deafening crack as a tree fell over, weak from the flame's brutal onslaught. He held his hands by his mouth and yelled again

"Reira!!"

He caught sight of navy blue, the color he usually associated with Reira's hair. "Reira!!" He jumped down and gripped the burning wood, ignoring the smoldering of his own skin as he threw the fallen wood to the side, with little chakra help due to his adrenaline rush. A wave of extra heat stung him in the face forcefully, stealing his breath for a moment while burning the skin on his face. He brought his arms up and plowed through the fires of Hades.

His foot bumped against something solid, and he immediately bent down to see if it was a tree trunk or his comrade. "Reira?!" he called. Still no answer. He huffed and moved more burning wood, his hands screaming for the pain to leave. Bit by bit the person he had been searching for was becoming unearthed.

"Reira!" he cried out, seeing her still form, now free of fallen debris. "Reira, hold on!"

... ... ... ... ... ... ...

**R E V I E W!**


	2. New Moon'

_**Bring The Rain**_

Chapter One

"Shinobi number one hundred seventeen. Step forward"

One of the hundreds of ninja who were all clothed in black cloaks, step forward, out of line, indicating that he was number one hundred seventeen.

"We are proud to accept you into the International Alliances" said the person, from the top of the pillar, concealed by shadows. His gaze looked down at the hundreds of the ninja who had applied, though only a handful would pass.

"You are the final member of Squad Thirteen. Congradulations and proceed to the next room. Your team members are waiting for your arrival"

The shinobi nodded and walked out of the large gathering room and entered the smaller one that was simply white.

He immediately noticed the two other people who were idly waiting. The tall male was blonde and leaning against the wall, his eyes closed in boredom. He was dressed in a long black over cloak, that had a green design around the waist while he wore black pants and sandels beneath.

"Finally..." the blonde sighed, standing up to his full height, which was taller than the newcomer, by a good four inches or so. He adjusted his rectangle framed glasses, while muttering, "It's about time..."

"You can take off the cloak, so you know" suggested the girl, who was sitting down, her back against the wall. She had short blue hair that stopped above her shoulders, her bangs off to the side. She was wearing black capris and black shinobi sandels that stopped below her knees, she was also wearing a dark blue shirt that was loose and the sleeves fell past her fingertips slightly while the collar was wide and nearly slipped off her shoulders, allowing others to see her black straps of her under shirt.

The newcomer nodded and removed the cloak with no flourish, allowing his own outfit to be shown. The first thing to be seen was the blue rabbit hat that had goggles perched on the bridge of the hat, which hid most of his hair, but a few black strands could still be seen as well as his dark brown eyes. His dark blue jacket was average length with lighter blue sleeves, and it had a few front pockets, but you could see his gray shirt underneath it as well. His shorts fell past his knees and the same lighter blue was on the outer sides, along with the cargo pockets, and his sandels were dark blue and came to mid calf, made with slightly thick material.

"I'm Taro Moriyama--"

"What's your village?" demanded the blonde, flitting in front of Takeo, causing him to blink at his surprising speed.

"I'm from Takigakure" he answered, taken aback by the bluntness of the question that the green eyed boy posed.

"Your rank"

"Chuunin"

"Age"

"Just turned seventeen"

They were locked in a staredown for a few moments, green clashing with brown, but then the blonde smirked.

"How many times have you taken the enterance test?"

He paused.

"...Three times..."

The blonde raised an eyebrow and looked as if he was going to laugh at the boy.

"A dunce eh?" he snickered "Interesting..."

"Hey! Just 'cause it took me awhile doesn't mean I'm not good!" retorted Taro, clenching his fists tightly. "So you better watch it, blondie!"

"Blondie? Is that the best you can do--"

The blue haired girl pushed her way between the arguing males. She stood with her back to the blonde and extended her hand to Taro.

"It's very nice to meet you, Taro. I'm Reira Tsukimaru and the guy behind me is Kaisuke Tazuka" introduced the girl politely.

"Uh, nice to meet you too" he replied, awkwardly shaking her hand. A light blush stretched across his gently freckled cheeks. He also noticed that she was the same height as him, which was roughly 5' 10", that put a slight damper on his self-esteem.

"So, we're able to leave now, aren't we Kaisuke?" she asked, while looking over her shoulder to the silent comrade.

"Yes" he agreed, nodding slightly. "We should head out immediately to gain as much ground as we can"

"Right" confirmed Reira and Taro simply nodded.

"Thirteen, head out" instructed Kaisuke, leading the way.

--

Hours flew by in silence. Darkness fell over them like a blanket and the stars illuminated the moonless night...

"New moon..." commented Reira, not talking to anyone in paticular, just filling the quiet night with frivalous chatter.

"Hn" was all Kaisuke muttered, showing that he had heard. Taro grimanced, he discovered that "Hn" was one of Kaisuke's favorite words, and other than that, he didn't really talk much. Neither did Reira, he recalled, but she was a more of a silence of contentment, unlike Kaisuke's which was like he was trying to push you away.

"Is that what its called?" asked Taro, looking up at her, seeing as their traveling formation was a triangle.

"Mmhm" she replied, nodding. "These kind of nights are ideal for ambushes and sneak attacks, so take extra caution"

"Oh..." and that's where the conversation died.

--off in shadows nearby-- -- -- -- --

Two sets of eyes followed the three shinobi with eagerness. The shorter of the two look at his partner and the partner nodded. They were gone in a blur that blended with the night's environment.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Taro's eyes began to grow heavy. They had been traveling all night, never once mentioning about setting up camp. Hell, nothing was mentioned! They didn't even talk! Apart from Reira's new moon comment they were silent. The quiet night was almost enough to send him over the edge, while the silence rang in his ears. His legs were growing tired, and his chakra was falling in and out of balance, he was ready to sleep...how long were they going to keep traveling anyway?--

Reira and Kaisuke suddenly vanished from view. Taro looked around alarmed. What happened?! Where were they?!

He was pushed to the ground, covered with bushes that prickled and jabbed at him.

"Ow! What's going--" A hand was covered over his mouth quickly. His eyes widened due to the sudden movement and he followed the hand up to Reira's face. He relaxed, knowing that it wasn't an enemy shinobi. She looked at him and held a finger to her lips. _Be quiet_. Obviously, thought Taro, mentally rolling his eyes.She removed her hand and took a deep breath, her eyes closed.

Her golden eyes opened again, fresh with energy, eager for a fight. The grass crunched under her hands as she prepped for a jump. Taro hurried and crouched as well, but was stopped when Reira shook her head.

'No' she mouthed, 'you need to stay here'

And with that, she flittted away.

Stay here? thought Taro, indignant. He just passed the IA's test, was a Chuunin--a ninja for pete's sake! He could easily take some rogue ninja. He nodded, confirming his own thoughts and leapt from the bushes, determined and prepared--

A hard metal net was thrown over him and quickly tied, capturing him. Apparently he wasn't prepared enough... He struggled and thrashed in the net, but he could feel his chakra being sucked away instantly.

"What a dumb fuck..." commented one of the voices. Taro growled and tried to stab his kunai through the net. He recieved a harsh electrical shoch in return, causing him to yell out in surprise.

"You're right. He can't even read the lightning inscrptions on the net. Dumbass" said the other. "Now that we've got him, we can lure the other two" There was a loud grunt as the bag was lifted over someone's shoulder. The mesh netting was too thick to see through, a disadvantage for Taro. His knees were pushed up to his chin, while one of his arms were stuck between his stomach and legs while his other was pressed to his side. In short, he was very uncomfortable. He bowed his head further and muttered

"Crap..."

-- -- -- -- -- --

**R E V I E W!**


	3. Just Like Him:

_**Bring The Rain**_

Chapter Two

Reira landed on a mossy branch, beside her fair haired comrade. She tilted her head to the side to look at him with her golden eyes.

"How should we do this?" she whispered, almost inaudible, but Kaisuke's trained ears heard it clear as a bell.

"Quickly, but I think we may have some trouble..." he said, trailing off. As if on cue, the two rogue ninja leapt into a nearby clearing, a metal bag over one's shoulder.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" coaxed one, their voice thoroughly amused. "You don't want your little friend to get hurt, do you?" they asked. The one holding the bag dropped it roughly, allowing a muffled "Ow!" to be heard.

Reira placed her hand against her forehead. _He moved...why didn't he listen?_

"This complicates things..." she mumbled, shaking her head.

"Only slightly," said Kaisuke, pulling some senbon needles from his holster. He wove his chakra around the needles, making a net like pattern. Reira sighed, knowing what he was thinking.

"Want me to distract them?"

"If you'd be so kind" he said, nodding, concentrating on his weaving chakra.

"They're dumb and they just got lucky, so it won't be anything intricate." she commented, forming the hand signs of the doppleganger, which appeared next to her.

"That'll do"

-- -- -- --

The ninja who had been carring the bag sighed, and sat on the bag, which caused muffled yells of discomfort to be heard from Taro.

"Shut up you brat" he insulted. He huffed and looked at his partner, asking

"How much longer Faiku?"

"Stop whining, Luy. They can't wait forever, or else we'll kill the kid" assured Faiku, who was twirling a kunai around his pointer finger.

"Hear that, punk?" asked Luy, while prodding the bag. "If your friends ditch you, then you're dead"

There was a sudden sharp whistle that penetrated everyone's senses. The two ninjas were on their feet, kunais in hand, looking around in order to try and track the sound. There was loud rustle and Reira jumped from some bushes, and she started to sprint circles around the clearing, blowing the whistle all the while.

"Hey! What're you trying to do? Confuse us?!" demanded Faiku. "But that's not going to work bitch!" He performed some hand signals and the trees around came to life, roots lashing and grabbing the running girl. She struggled as Faiku laughed and walked over to her with his partner beside him.

"Aw, thought you could beat us? Sorry girlie--" He stopped talking when she transformed into a log in a puff of smoke. His eyes narrowed with anger and he growled inchoherant words.

"Faiku!" yelped Luy, who turned around to see the real Reira picking up the bag with Taro. "She's got 'im!"

Just as they started to sprint after her, a slight gleam of needles could be seen by trained eyes, but those weren't the eyes of the rogue ninjas, so they were very surprised when they were suddenly pinned to the ground.

"What the--?!"

Kaisuke jumped down from a branch and sent two kunais through their hearts, stilling their struggled movements. He adjusted his glasses as he walked over to Reira, who was pulling Taro out of his temporary prison.

No words were exchanged once he was freed, simply silence again. The lack of speech was increasing the guilt he felt. It was the kind of quiet that the teachers gave you when you recieved a bad grade, or when you lost a competition. The disappointed silence. The silence of failure.

_"Haha, Taro messed up again!" teased a fellow student. "You'll never do it!"_

_"Will too!" argued Taro, his face red from embaressment and anger. "I will too!" They continued to laugh at him. Tears pricked his eyes. "I will too! You just watch me!!"_

"Are you alright, Taro?" asked Reira, thankfully shattering the piercing stillness.

"Yeah..." he mumbled, bowing his head so that the bridge of his hat would overshadow his eyes. "I'm fine"

"That's good" she told him, while a relieved smile lit her features.

When everyone got to their feet Kaisuke headed forward again, not sparing a glance in Taro's direction, which was just as bad as a glare in Taro's opinion.

It was surprisingly only a few more moments before they had stopped at their final destenation. A tree house located within a misty-almost swamp like area. It stood tall, well above the ground, but yet still beneath the canopy, and the wood was quite thick and durable. They jumped up onto the wooden dock that was slightly slick with dew. Kaisuke stormed off to the left and entered a cabin like area, and pulled the door close behind him, so a loud click could be heard.

Reira simply rolled her eyes and sighed lightly. She ran her hand through her hair and started to walk down the path that led straight.

"This is your room" she said, while using her hand to stiffle a yawn. "Feel free to adjust it however you see fit. It already has the basics so its just waiting for your contribution" she said while standing to the side, allowing him to walk in. "And I'm just across the hall"

He looked around and saw that it was just a simply room. A soft bed with a green comforter a two pillows, a window on the west side, a few shelves that were waiting for books or scrolls. Then a bureau off to the side, to hold his clothes. He did notice the layer of dust, which he eyed oddly.

"Sorry" she said, noticing his look. "Didn't have time to clean up and its been awhile since someone's been here"

"It's no big deal" he said, not really caring about the dust.

"Well, g'night--"

"I'm sorry..." he mumbled, his head held low again. She looked over her shoulder, her blue hair slightly in her eyes.

"I know..."

When she left, Taro laid on the bed, not even bothering with changing. It took mere moments for him to be asleep...

-- -- -- --

"Up and at 'em Taro!"

Sudden light filled his vision.

"Arg!" he yelped, his arms flying around while he attempted to run from the light. But he simply landed on the floor in a mess, the sheets tanged around him. He heard muffled laughter and he lifted his hatless head to see Reira standing in the doorway dressed in her usual outfit, but this time she wasn't wearing her loose overshirt, just a simple black tanktop, with gaurds on her forearms.

"Didn't mean to scare you" she laughed. He sat up and ruffled his black messy hair, looking around, slightly disoriented.

"Mm?" he looked up at Reira and mumbled. "What's goin' on?"

"Our training session will start whenever you're ready" she told him while walking out of the room.

Training? At...Taro looked at his watch, _6:30 AM_?! He groaned, people shouldn't be awake and ready at that inhuman time, it was just crazy. He pulled the blankets off of him and stood up, searching for his hat, which was under a lone pillow.

He walked out of his room and slowly traveled down the hallway and took a left which led into a meeting room like area. Kaisuke looked over his shoulder at the sound of footsteps and turned his head away once he saw that it was Taro. He was wearing black pants, sandles and a dark green long sleeved shirt.

"Let's get started then" said Kaisuke heading out of the room, and leaping onto the soft, wet ground. Reira followed the procedure, and then Taro, ignoring his empty stomach that growled at him.

"We're going to start our run" commented Kaisuke, giving Taro a slight head's up for what was to come.

"Um...how far are we going?" asked Taro. Kaisuke smirked and looked over his shoulder.

"What? Are you afraid that you can't keep up?" he challenged. Taro glared and declared

"I can keep up with whatever you throw at me! Just bring it four eyes!" He simply scoffed and started to run, Taro close behind and Reira bringing up the rear.

--5 HOURS later...(me: OMG?!)--

The three shinobi landing at the base of their treehouse, all panting and gasping for air. Reira's hands were on her knees, holding her up, while Taro remained standing with his arms behind his head and Kaisuke simply stood regularly, though sweat dripped from his forehead.

"S-see...?" said Taro, a smirk on his face "Told ya I could keep up"

"That's nothing to brag about" said Kaisuke, holding his glasses with one hand and wiping his face with the edge of his shirt. "You simply have endurance. Even a dunce like you can run--"

"I'm no dunce, blondie!" snapped Taro, glaring. "I can handle whatever you dish out!"

"That true?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Then let's put your theory to the test."

There was a glimmer, seen by only Kaisuke and Reira, so Taro was caught off gaurd when the blood started to slide down his cheek from the small wound. His brown eyes widened, enough to encourage Kaisuke to ask,

"What's wrong? It's simply a papercut..." he paused. "Unless you're _scared_ that is..."

"Ha! Yeah right! I didn't feel that, let alone fear it!" retorted Taro, gaining some confidence.

Kaisuke delivered a swift kick to Taro's stomach, sending him flying back into the nearby trees.

"Did you feel that one, dunce?" he asked sarcasticly, pleased with the effect.

A kunai bit into the ground at his sandled feet, a bomb tag around the small handle. His emerald irises were widening as he he took the brunt of the explosion.

"Not really. How 'bout you?" remarked Taro, a smug smirk on his own face, beneath the brim of his rabbit hat.

"Not even close" coughed Kaisuke, coming out of the smoke, his forearms bleeding slightly. His hands move with lightning accuracy and speed as he formed katas, creating a jutsu. Taro's hands also moved, but before he could finish his own jutsu he was overshadowed by gray. He looked up and saw that the sky was raining needles.

"Shit!" he cursed, hurrying to finish his jutsu. He sent a wave of chakra through his hands and walls of water surrounded him, especially overhead. He relaxed slightly when the needles bounced off his shield. His relief was cut short when he felt small bites in his shoulders. He looked up, alarmed. Some of the needles were breaking through. More sharp points hit him and he made more signs. A blast of water lashed out and tried to strike Kaisuke, but he forced chakra to his feet and jumped out of range. Taro growled and made some more hand signs

"Crushing Falls!" He slammed his hands onto the ground and the earth rumbled. A large concentration of water from the neighboring lake came overhead and crashed onto Kaisuke's shoulders.

"Ha!" laughed Taro, proud with the attack. He started to stand up from his halfway kneeling position, but immediately found that he couldn't move. His eyebrows knitted together in bewilderment. What was going on?!

"Something wrong...dunce?" Taro's eyes widened when he saw Kaisuke's dripping wet form standing in front of him. His foot came in contact with his stomach and he was sent flying a good dozen yards away. Taro landed in a heap, far away from his protective jutsu, seeing as he was just kicked through it.

"Kaisuke, it's over" said Reira, from her tree branch perch. "You're just beating him, it's not a fight anymore"

Kaisuke approached his immobile comrade, ignoring the navy haired girl.

"Do you think you're cut out for this?" he asked mockingly. "Do you think you're really ready?" Taro noticed vaguely that Kaisuke wasn't wearing his glasses, obviously due to the 'Crushing Falls' technique. Kaisuke stomped on his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

"Kaisuke!" yelled Reira, jumping onto the moist ground. "Stop it!"

"It's the truth, Reira. He's just a novice, weak and unprepared. You're like him too" insulted Kaisuke.

Taro glared, one of his eyes blackened, at Kaisuke's smirking face. Picking on him was understandable, but why Reira?! What did she ever do anything to be scorned for?

Reira stepped up to Kaisuke and gently touched his shoulder, while saying,

"Kaisuke, stop it--"

He brought his clenched fist back and delt her a severe blow to her midsection, which caused her gold eyes to widen, her pupils to dialate and her body to fly back.

Taro's anger escalated and his body began to move painful inch by painful inch, into a sitting position.Why'd he hit her?! For what reason did he have to hit a girl who was trying to be merciful?! Hot rage shot through his veins as he struggled to move freely.

Suddenly Kaisuke was knocked to the ground and he could see Reira standing upright with her own fist clenched tightly.

"Do you hear yourself?! Do you hear yourself Kaisuke?!" she demanded, her voice shaking. "You know who you're talking like?!"

Kaisuke didn't answer her. He simply remained laying on the ground, his face up to the sky.

"I'll tell you who you sound like! You sound...Just! Like! Him!" she yelled, emphazing each word.

Silence rang in everyone's ears. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved.

After for what seemed like an eternity, Kaisuke finally got up and stood before Reira. She didn't make eye contact, but simply glared at the empty space by him.. She held out her hand, his glasses in her grasp.

"Here..." she muttered.

"Thank you." he mumbled, taking them from her. She turned away from him, leaving him standing as she knelt next to Taro.

"Kaisuke's senbon needle was dosed in poison, so you've been infected ever since the beginning" she said, her tone much different from before. "I have an antidote with me, so you can either drink it or I can inject it" She cringed when she reached for the vile from her bag, her stomach wound irritating her.

"Blink once for the shot, twice for the drink--" Taro blinked twice with no hesitation. He hated needles, the thought of them entering his skin simply made him shudder.

"Alright, I'm just telling you now that it'll be bitter" she said. Taro's face flared beat red when Reira moved closer. She tilted his head up and cupped his chin with her hand, her thumb below his lip and she slowly pried his mouth open. His body felt as if it was on fire, his embarressment was through the roof with her closeness, so close he could feel her breath. She placed her left hand at the back of his neck and held the vile to his lips, steadily pouring the antidote. The yellow liquid pooled in his mouth and it was indeed bitter. So bitter that it caused him to cough. She quickly touched his throat and sent gentle chakra streams to steal his discomfort.

His vision immediatelt started to dim and blur, which set of many mental alarms. He tried to resist but it was overpowering.

"Relax, you're just going to sleep for awhile," said Reira, her voice forlorn. "Everything's fine, Taro..."

His final thought before he lost full consciousness was: _Why...is she so sad...?_

-- -- -- -- -- --

**R E V I E W!!**


	4. Home Town

_**Bring The Rain**_

Chapter 3

The next time Taro opened his brown eyes he found himself back in his new room. He groaned as he lifted his heavy eyelids, allowing his foggy vision to see the sunlight streaming through the room. he sat up slowly and discovered that he was on his bed in only his undershirt, shorts as well as hatless. He ruffled his black hair and started to stand up when a thought struck him:

How did he get here and how did he remove his clothes?!

Kaisuke wouldn't haul his unconscious body, so then--Reira?! His face flared an unnatural shade of red as he held his head and paced around the room, his heart pumping fast.

"Oh god, oh god..." he muttered under his breath, pushing his fingers further into his black hair, his mind spinning, almost feverishly. He stood still and patted his clothes, same shirt and shorts from yesterday...He brought the collar of his undershirt over his nose then pulled away gagging. Yes that was definately from yesterday.

"So..only my jacket...hat...and shoes..." he calculated, counting on his fingers to make sure. He sighed and held his hand over his heart, relieved. "S'not good to wake up with a heart attack..."

His stomach growled, reminding him why he woke up. "Food..." he mumbled.

He walked out of the room and traveled down the hallway, taking his time seeing as he still wasn't sure where everything was yet. He stopped when he smelled something that was lightly scented as food and he followed it to the source: the kitchen.

"Instant food is in the second cupboard to the left" Taro jumped about a foot in the air at the sound of Kaisuke's sudden voice next to him. He whipped his dark head around to see the blonde calmly walk past him to the stove, not sparing him a second glance as his heart rate return to normal. Then he recalled their fight from yesterday and Reira's interference...

_"You sound just-like-him!" she cried, her voice shaking._

What was she talking about? Who was she comparing him too?--His stomach grumbled loudly in annoyance, reminding him to eat, he was hungry dammit.

"Hey Taro, do you feel better?" His pulse doubled when Reira entered the kitchen, her gold eyes locking with his, waiting for his answer.

"Um, yeah, I guess" he replied, ruffling the back of his hair out of habbit. She stepped closer and his face turned slightly pink.

"Your eye healed up well too" she commented. He brought his hand up and touched the area around his eye, it didn't hurt on contact and he could see clearly. He had almost forgotten that he got hit there.

"We're probably going to get a mission soon so we can't have you go with only one good eye." she joked smiling. His blush turned another shade darker as he smiled too.

Reira stopped smiling and sniffed the air, smoke attracting both of their attention. She gave a small smile and walked over to the stove where Kaisuke stood.

"Need any help Kaisuke?" she asked. He muttered something incoherant and she smiled lightly, wrapping her hand around the skillet handle, her hand around his. Jealousy stabbed at Taro as he grimanced at the scene, diverting his gaze to the floor.

"Your fire's too high, that's why it's burning" she explained. "You only need it at medium heat for eggs" She reached down and dimmed the fire, allowing the smoke and burnt smell to fade.

"So what were you attempting to make?" she joked while breaking another egg into the skillet.

"Breakfast..." he grumbled. She laughed lightly and continued correcting his cooking mistake. Kaisuke didn't move from her side, their distance close, to Taro's annoyance.

_"Um...do you need help cooking...?"_

_Kaisuke looked over his shoulder to see Reira, the newest member to the team, standing behind him. Her right eye was blackened due to her fight with their captain in a spar._

_"Do you know how?" he asked. The smoke of the burning food was starting to bother his nose. She nodded._

_"Yes...I can cook..." Kaisuke stepped to the side and allowed her to stand in front of the stove. The meek girl's hands were a flurry of movement, controlling the fire, stirring the dish, starting side dishes, adding ingrediants, it was all a blur._

_He removed his steamed glasses and cleaned them with the edge of his sleeve. The smoke was gone and the kitchen was filled with a warm, delicious smell._

_"Why didn't you tell us you could cook?" he asked her._

_"You never asked me..." she replied, not looking away from what she was doing._

_"So you were trying to be modest and choke down my cooking?" he concluded. A smile broke across her face and she laughed lightly._

_"About time" he sighed. She looked up at him, her eyes slightly wide_

_"About time for what?" she inquired._

_"For you to smile" he answered, smiling himself._

_So, she smiled again._

It was quiet at the small table as the three IA members ate their meal. Taro held his bowl close to his face as he scarfed the food down. He was currently on his fourth bowl. He let out a content sigh and lowered the dish, to see Reira and Kaisuke's surprised faces.

"What?" he asked, some egg on the edge of his mouth. "What're you looking at?"

"Well, one, you have food on your face and two, I didn't think you'd be so hungry" replied Reira, who was only halfway through her first bowl.

"Of course I was!" he laughed. "I haven't eaten for awhile, and your cooking is really good!"

"I'm always glad to hear that" she smiled. "But if you were hungry you could've just told me"

There was a loud poof and nin smoke filled the room instantly. The sounds of scrambling could be heard as the three shinobis rushed to their feet. Kaisuke held his senbon needles between his fingers, Reira stood ready with with her giant shuriken, while Taro gripped his kunai with one hand and bomb tag with the other.

"Stand down" The smoke cleared and a Jounin stood before them, his headband wrapped awkwardly around the side of his head. "I'm here to alert you of your next mission" They relaxed somewhat, though they didn't store their weapons.

"Explain then" instructed Kaisuke, his voice chilling. His gaze was dead locked on the foriegn shinobi, no move or twitch going unnoticed.

"The Mizukage has requested your services" started the ninja. "A rogue shinobi has been causing havoc in the land of Mist. He has been after lords of high standard and killing them one after the other. The Mizukage believes he is the next target and would like to be protected"

"For how long?" asked Reira.

"Until the shinobi is caught, or gives up his pursuit" answered the messenger.

"Very well, we accept" informed Kaisuke. The man bowed.

"Thank you very much. I'll inform the Mizukage of your arrival" He was gone in another puff of smoke. Everybody relaxed noticeably and stored their weapons. Taro's fingers were starting to cramp from holding his kunai so tightly.

"Guess we better go pack and set out soon" suggested Reira, looking between the two boys.

"Yeah" mumbled Taro, nodding in agreement. A thought hit him, like a light being flicked on.

"Hey Reira, isn't Kiri your hometown?" he asked, taking not of her Mist headband that loosely adorned her neck. Her golden eyes widened slightly and her lips formed a strained smile a moment later.

"Yeah, my hometown" she replied as she stepped out of the room. Taro winced when Kaisuke's shoulder hit him roughly as he walked past.

"What the heck, blondie?!" he asked, while rubbing his arm.

No response.

xxXXxx-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --xxXXxx

It took about an hour for everyone to get ready. Taro finally found the shower, thank goodness, his own bodily oder was starting to make him feel kind of sick. When he walked out onto the deck he saw Kaisuke looking over Reira shoulder at a piece of paper, exchanging small talk.

"Should we use a group teleportation?"

"If we all contribute, no one should be really drained and we're not too far as it is"

"Sorry!" apologized Taro, rushing out onto the dock to stand with his team members.

"What're you looking at?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Reira looked up, noticing that he was there. She took a few steps and showed him the paper that had varieties of small print.

"We're thinking about using this transportation jutsu to reach the Mizukage in shorter time" She was standing close to him, in order for him to read the microscopic print. His face grew warm again.

"Sounds fine to me" he said. He mentally gave himself a pat on the back for being able to talk clearly with a girl so close.

"Alright!" she chirped. "Looks like we're teleporting!"

She laid the paper on the ground and knelt down beside it while her hands form katas. The teleportation sheet began to glow and she formed the signs a bit faster. The chakra that was immeting had enough force to push her navy hair around her face, though she didn't flinch.

"We're good" she whispered, placing her hands on the paper. Kaisuke nodded and copied her actions, placing his hands on the paper. The symbols began to glow brighter and began to spin. Taro stared at the paper and he could sense chakra surrounding the two of the IA members.

"Taro!" called Reira, her voice sounding far away. "Hurry up!"

"Idiot..." mumbled Kaisuke. Taro snapped out of the daze and scrambled to kneel and touch the paper. Reira was a step ahead and she reached out and grabbed his hand tightly.

"Hold on!"

xxxxXXXXxxxx... ...xxxxXXXXxxxx

**R E V I E W!**


	5. Rising Curtain

_**Bring The Rain**_

Chapter Four

After spinning for what felt like forever, the transportation jutsu flung them off of the paper, allowing the three water ninjas to land roughly in the tall damp grass. Taro's eyes were closed and the only thing he was conscious of was Reira's hand holding his. The jutsu threw them to the ground and her grip slackened when she hit the ground, a normal reflex but he didn't let go, which caused him to crash into her.

"Ow!" they chorused when their heads rammed into each other. He opened his brown eyes, noticing that his hat was pushed up slightly but more importantly that he was lying ontop of the Kiri kunoichi.

"Geez you're head hurts" she mumbled, her eyes closed trying to ignore her throbbing forhead.

His eyes had widened and his face paled as he realized his body's unfortunate position. His head was just above her shoulder, he could even feel her soft hair against him, past the hat's edges, while the rest of his body was parallel to her. Since they were about the same height, his chest was flush against her full bust and his lower waist was pressed to hers. This was too intimate of a position for his mind, or body, to handle. He scrambled off of her immediately, sitting in the grass. His face was beyond red as he rambled random words of apology.

"It was an accident. I know, it's not a big deal" said Reira, waving her hand to dismiss the incident, even though her face was a viberant red as well. She stood up and brushed off then held her hand out to the flustered waterfall nin, though she didn't make eye contact. He accepted it, not saying anything as he got to his feet.

"You alright, Kaisuke?" she asked the blonde, who was already standing, most likely waiting for them.

"Yes, I'm fine" he answered, nodding. As they got closer Reira clapped her hands together.

"Almost forgot the paper" she said mostly to herself as she started to walk back to where she thought the paper was.

"I've already taken care of it" said Kaisuke, pushing his glasses up. She stopped and looked over her shoulder at him.

"You got it already" He nodded. "Thank you" she said while walking between the two boys.

"To the Mizukage's Tower" said Reira, indicating to the tall tower that could be seen over the hill.

xxxxXXXXxxxx ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... xxxxXXXXxxxx

"Oh, I'm so glad you all could come so quickly!" chirped the overweight man who was more commonly known as the Mizukage. He had a thick dark moustache and a big round belly that was dressed in fine clothes.

"It was no problem, Mizukage-sama" Reira told him.

"Oh please! There's no need to be so modest!" He eyed her headband that she wore around her neck. "You're from Kirigakure?"

"Yes sir" she answered. He shook her hand heartily, almost pulling her arm from its socket.

"I'm very proud of you m'dear! Very proud indeed!" he told her, finally releasing her, much to her relief. "One of the few kunoichis to enter the IA and from Kiri no less!" he praised.

"Um, thank you sir" she said, rubbing the back of neck self consciously. He looked over at Taro and Kaisuke next.

"More water villages! Amegakure and Takigakure?" He moved over to Taro and squinted his eyes to look at Taro's hat to be sure. The Kage shook his hand just as hard as Reira's.

"Congradulations my dear boy! I'm proud of Taki for training a fine shinobi like yourself!"

"T-thank you sir" he said while trying to regain the feeling in his fingers.

"If you'll just follow me, I had a room prepared for you!" he said while leading the way down the hallway. Reira looked up at the Rain ninja to see an aggrivated look upon his face. He was probably insulted that the water shadow didn't compliment his home village. She touched his arm lightly, looking up at him with her soft gold eyes, silently telling him that it was nothing to get worked up about. He closed his eyes and sighed, placing his hand ontop of her blue head, ruffling her hair lightly. They proceded to follow Taro and the Mizukage as if nothing had happened.

The short man stopped before a door and he opened it with flourish. The inside was decorated with marble and other high quality stone, while designs were etched into their surfaces. There was a fireplace that was already crackling with life and two lavishly furnished beds with silk blankets and pillow cases and a high cealing.

"We can't accept this Mizukage-sama, it's too much--" started Reira.

"Nonsense!" he interrupted, waving his hand. "Only the best for the best!" He started to leave but turned back around. "Be sure to join us for lunch, but for now I'll leave you to unpacking" Then he was gone.

"He's treating us like house guests" mumbled Kaisuke, while claiming the first bed. "Instead of high ranked shinobi here to protect him"

Reira did the same and claimed the other bed. "Do you think he realizes who his pursuers could possibly be?"

"Do you guys have an idea who?" asked Taro. "The messenger spoke like it was only one person"

"Akatsuki" they simply stated in unison.

Time seemed to freeze. The word hung heavily in the air, putting everyone on edge. Taro's brown eyes widened and looked between the two comrades.

"A-Akatsuki...?" he repeated, just to make sure.

"Or Neo Akatsuki, as some of them like to be called" clarified Reira. "They've picked up where the original Akatsuki left off, causing trouble, controlling black markets, but they're not after the Jinchuurikis"

"Why not? I thought that was their goal" he asked, while wondering why they were so familiar with the evil orginization

"It was too much power for them to handle" explained Kaisuke.

"And other Jinchuurikis were causing too much trouble" smirked Reira.

"Oh, like the Hokage Naruto Uzumaki right?" concluded Taro, snapping his fingers. Her face froze and she covered with a smile and nod.

"Yeah, like Naruto..." she trailed off.

"So how do you guys know so much--"

"That's enough talking, we should focus" interrupted Kaisuke. Taro looked for a place to put his things and froze in mid step. There were two beds, but three people.

Kaisuke bed

Reira bed

Taro sharing?!

No way, he'd sleep on the floor or something. He blushed at the thought of being so close to Reira, because obviously Kaisuke wouldn't share.

"Are you okay Taro?" asked Reira. "You look a bit red" He dropped his bag off to the side and pulled his hat down further to overshadow his blush.

"Nah, I'm good!" he proclaimed.

"That's good" she said, giving him a smile. "So what's the plan, Kaisuke? Our usual scouting?"

"Yes, that'll do for now" he answered "I'll talk to the staff and find out if there have been new employees lately. Reira will handle the kitchen, check for poisons or anything unusual" He turned his head slightly to look at Taro, who stood up straighter and tried to look a bit more serious.

"Outside survalience for you. Can you handle that, dunce?" he mocked, looking at him over the tops of his glasses. Taro clenched his teeth together and nodded, despite his growing dislike for the blonde.

"Here, I've got these" said Reira, while pulling something from her bag. She handed it to Kaisuke, then to Taro, who held it awkwardly.

"You've used these before right, Taro?" she asked, her gold eyes easily looking right into his simple brown ones.

"Yeah, these are short wave communication receptors right?" he assumed while applying the ear piece.

"Right, but these can go father then the typical kind that shinobi are given. It reaches about five kilometers" she explained, her equipment already in place.

"Geez, five kilometers?" he commented, pulling on the neck piece that was slightly too tight.

"Mmhm" she agreed. "Kaisuke and I thought that it'd be a good idea to increase the range"

"Is everyone set?" asked Kaisuke, obviously bored of the small talk.

"Yes" answered Reira, nodding.

"Then move out" he instructed.

...xxxxXXXXxxxx...xxxxXXXXxxxx...xxxxXXXXxxxx...xxxxXXXXxxxx...xxxxXXXXxxxx... With Reira

Her footsteps made soft sounds as she traveled down the stairs that lead to the kitchen, or so she hoped, the tower was huge. She caught sight of a white door with the word 'kitchen' written in elaborate kanji, so she decided to push the door open, which allowed a wave of smells to hit her, all delicious. She stepped forward, sticking her navy head into the kitchen, looking around cautiously. Everything was white, clean and marble based, like something off a cooking show.

"Oh hello, you must be the kunoichi from Kiri" said one of the passing cooks. She was a short, plump woman with dark curly hairt that was pulled back into a messy bun.

"Yes, I'm Reira Tsukimaru" she inroduced politely, holding her hand out, which the woman easily shook.

"It's very nice to meet you Reira, I'm Deima Tomo, the head chef here" she said, smiling which caused dimples to form.

"Nice to meet you too. You're actually the person I was looking for" said Reira, pulling her hand away.

"Really now? How can I help you, hon?" she asked while tending to a cooking dish.

"Actually I was going to ask for your permission to look around and search the kitchen for poisons"

"Poisons?!" yelped Deima, dropping the cooking pan in shock. Reira reacted quickly and caught the steaming dish by the handles before it could hit the ground, then placed it back on the stove, letting out a held breath. "Oh I'm so sorry--"

"No, it's fine, no big deal. I didn't mean to scare you" soothed Reira. Deima sighed and looked at Reira, then to her cooking and then back again.

"I'm just a chef, Reira, I always have and I always plan to be one." The bluenette nodded, showing that she was listening. "But whenever someone brings up shinobi stuff, poisons, traps, fighting or death, I just get so nervous!" she explained, her voice faultering near the end.

"There's nothing to worry about Mrs Tomo" reassured Reira. "I can do a search here with my chakra that'll pick up any kind of poison or hazard. More chakra, the more poison varities"

"So...you're not going to search through everything in my kitchen?" she questioned.

"No" laughed Reira. "It's not very ninja like to tromp through everything and it would cause trouble for you too" She took a breath. "It'll only take a moment"

She closed her gold eyes and her hands moved quickly and accurately, forming an arrangement of katas, allowing her movements to blur in the eyes of the chef. Her azure eyebrows furrowed as she focused on the image in her mind's eye. Her chakra engulfed the room, painting its replica behind her eyes. Nothing was immeting danger and no weird signals appeared to her. She pressed a little farther, taking in everything, not wanting anything to go overlooked.

Nothing, it was just a simple kitchen. Reira let out a breath she had been subconsciously holding and her hands fell from their hold and back to her sides.

"Well?" asked Deima, wringing her hands in worry.

"It's all good" she told the worrying lady. "Nothing's wrong or dangerous"

"Thank goodness" sighed the cook, putting her hand to her heart. She resumed stirring the dish that she had been preparing and asked

"Would you like some of this tuna or anything hon'?" she offered.

"No thanks" declined Reira politely. " I'm allergic to fish anyway--" There was a click, which meant someone was opening a line.

"Testing, testing, this is Taro, over" She waved to the kind cook and left the kitchen.

"This is Reira and I can hear you loud and clear"

"I'm in the Northern part of the courtyard and there are a bunch of seals in one cluster" he explained.

"Seals or tags?" she asked. Seals meant that something was being restrained, tags could be activated through chakra, resulting in bombs or substitution.

"Um, I can't really tell. The writing's really hard to read" he said sheepishly. She sighed.

"Kay, I'll be out there in a minute" she told him. "Did you catch that Kaisuke?"

"Yes" came the blonde's voice.

"Reira out"

...xxxxXXXXxxxx...xxxxXXXXxxxxx...

Taro's brown eyes squinted at the tags that adorned the cluster of trees. No matter how hard he looked he couldn't make out the print! He huffed and brought himself down to balance on the balls of his feet, as he continued to glare at the tags. He pushed the brim of his hat up slightly and rested his chin on the heel of his hand. Why couldn't he rerad these tags? He usually has no trouble, the difference in kanji were easy to pick up on, but these just looked like blobs of ink and not actual seals or whatever they were...

"So where are the tags?" He flinched at Reira's sudden voice, she sure could travel quickly. He stood up and turned to face her, adjusting his hat.

"Right here" he said, pointing to the close grown trees that were adorned with strips of white paper. Her blue eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked at the area he pointed to. She stepped forward slightly, her hand lightly touching the bark as she scanned the area with her gold eyes. She was quiet for a while and she even sent her chakra strings out to scan the perimeter.

"So...what do you think?" asked Taro after a moment of silence.

"Taro..." He nodded. She turned around to face him her eyes slightly worried. "I don't see any tags..."

He blanched. No tags? He moved himself to her side and looked around. Of course there were tags, they were everywhere! On the grass, on the bark and in the trees, there's no way you could miss them!

"But they're everywhere!" he told her, his face paling. He wasn't seeing things, they were too real. His heart pounded loudly within his chest as he panicked.

"Taro look at me" He obliged and turned to face the girl. She placed her hands at the sides of his face, her thumbs at his temples, while the other digits hid in his hair beneath his hat. Her gold eyes stared hard at his brown ones, as if searching him. He gulped, he felt cold under her gaze, more so since they were the same height and eye contact was easy.

"I believe you Taro" she told him softly. His fear lessened considerably. "I just need you to close your eyes for a minute" He raised an eyebrow in doubt, but did as she said.

"Now open and tell me what you see" He open his chocolate brown hues and looked around as she pulled her hands away.

"No tags..." he muttered, failing to come across any of the white paper. "Reira, I swear they were here!--"

"I know, I told you that I believed you" she answered, while bringing her lightly curled fist to her lips. "I believe you..." she mumbled again.

He looked around, searching in vain for one white tag. Where had they gone?! Why couldn't Reira see them and why had they vanished?

"Come on, the Mizukage is expecting us for lunch" she told him while tugging on his sleeve, leading the way.

"Right..." he muttered, his face flaring at her hand's closeness, his usual girl shyness kicking in.

...

Cherry red lips turned into a smirk as a shadow looked down at the traveling ninjas. A little giggle came from her mouth and the girl said

"This will be fun, won't it Yuki-kun?" Her green eyes took in the image of the girl and boy, the girl looking over her shoulder at the clearing where she hid.

"Indeed" said the white hair boy, only his left eye visable. His cloak waved in the wind that was decorated with white tags, spotted with smeared black ink. He smirked at the navy haired girl that walked further away.

"The Chimera..." he muttered. "Kisame-sama will be glad to hear about her..." The girl partner giggled again.

"I can't wait to play!" she chirped, her scyth looming into view. "Tonight right, Yuki-kun?"

"Yes. Tonight the curtain will rise..."

**R E V I E W!!**


	6. Regretting

_**Bring The Rain**_

_Eternal: _I haven't really said much in this story so far huh? heh heh, its prolly because I had some of these chapters prewritten and forgot to add my usual rambling, hope you enjoyed the silence cause its gone now!!

Did anyone notice the relation between Reira and her dad? (according to Um...Please Don't Eat Me) in the last chapter?

Chapter Five

Reira was quiet for the rest of the day, noted Taro. She only spoke when spoken too and she didn't smile, like she was lost in her own world. She kept her slightly curled fist by her lips and she appeared as if she was thinking very hard. She was almost unapproachable. Hell, even Kaisuke talked more and he's pratically the human ice cube!

It was twilight now, and they had advised the Mizukage to allow his staff to go home for the night, which he obliged with a laugh. He had no problem listening to the well trained shinobi. Even the fat Kage had asked Reira if anything was wrong, and Kaisuke had intervened, saying that she had a late assignment yesterday. Lie.

Something was up and Taro wanted to know what, he wasn't one to be left in the dark.

"Stations" came Kaisuke's voice over the wireless line.

"Roger" agreed Taro. Reira simply nodded as everyone jumped to their posts.

Her navy hair whipped around her face as she landed on the roof of the tower, the wind brisk. Gold eyes stared at the swampy surroundings, dotted with forest like sections. Her hand, the color of ivory, reached up and gripped the material around her heart. She clenched her jaw closed, and fought back the tickling feeling at her nose, the sign before the tears. She shook her head and took a deep breath, she wouldn't let them fall, she needed to be strong right now.

"I'm going to get you Yukimaru..." she swore. "I'll get dad back..."

"Will you now?"

She whipped around and became face to face with the white haired boy, his black cloak adorning him, the neon purple clouds waving in the breeze. Her golden eyes widened as she took an offensive stance.

"Yes" she said, her glare never leaving the boy's tall form. He smirked, a glint in his blue eye. There was a movement from his sleeve and she reacted with her giant shuriken in his direction, which neatly sliced him in half. A puff of smoke emerged and she cursed.

"Come now, I haven't seen you in awhile, why don't we sit and chat over a cup of tea?" he suggested, appearing behind her and stroking her cheek. She spun around, her fist ready to beat in his smug face, but he easily caught it, gripping her fist tightly. She jerked back, but he wouldn't let her pull free. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she used her free hand to reach across her waist for her kunai but he pushed them together, pinning her arm at their waists.

"Can't we just be civil and share a dance?" he asked, smiling.

"There's no music" she retorted sarcasticly, glaring at the taller shinobi. He chuckled and brought his face close to her ear.

"A requim would be most suitable for the occasion, yes?" he said, a smirk in his voice. Her teeth clenched and she brought her head forward to hit him, but he streatched back lightly, not letting go of her.

"As usual, you would much rather be beaten to submission" he sighed, as if it was a tired ritual. His hold loosened and she pulled herself free, jumping back.

"You haven't alerted your comrades of me yet. I wonder why?" he asked, noting her communication equipment. She whipped out three kunai and launched them at him, then quickly formed dopplegangers which mixed and scattered on the rooftop, each drawing weapons, every set of golden eyes glaring.

He dodged one kunai, caught the second and deflected the third with it. He twirled the knife around his index finger grinning.

"Do you think I'll hurt them?" he asked.

"Shut up!" chorused the dopplegangers, charging at him, weapons at the ready. They all clashed and he moved fluidly to avoid them, dispersing the two copies and wrapping his arms around the true Reira. He wrapped one arm tightly around her middle, pinnning her arms by her side and covered her mouth with his other hand.

"I can't silence the truth, Reira..." he whispered into her ear. She struggled in his hold, hating her name on his lips and that just made his grip tighten, bringing her closer to him. "...I'll never let go of you..." he trailed off for a moment and let out a claim

"For you are mine..."

"Reira, come in!" crackled the earpiece. Yukimaru chuckled and stepped away.

"Better tend to your friends. My counterpart doesn't play so nicely with her toys" he warned, and vanished in a blur of mist. She remained standing still due to the shock from the encounter. She was just his doll.

"T-this is Reira" she responded.

"We have Akatsuki on the south border" he explained.

"How many?"

"Just one, but that'll keep us busy" he said. "We need you here, now"

"Got it" she agreed while heading for the south border as instructed.

...xxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...

"Happy?" growled Kaisuke, cutting off communication with the bluenette.

"Very!" chirped the Akatsuki member, her cherry lips pulled into a sickly sweet smile. She wore a black corset top, though she had nothing to show in Kaisuke's opinion, that had a purple cloud across the stomach and she wore a Lolita styled skirt and tall boots. A large scyth was angled behind her, her meshed covered arms holding it in place. Her hair was pulled into to thick pink pigtails that resided at the sides of her head, in a thickly coiled curl fashion.

His dark green eyes clashed with her bright emerald, creating waves of dislike to become almost tangible.

"You don't want to fight me alone?" taunted Kaisuke, an eyebrow raised.

"Don't be silly!" she told him in that child like voice. "I want the Chimera, not another Kaze-kun" A growl formed in the back of his throat as he fought against the vines and roots that acted as his restraints, they remained unyielding.

"Don't compare me to him..." he seethed.

"Aw" she jumped down and stood before him, hardly to his shoulder. "Did I make little brother mad?" He flared his chakra, flattening the grass around his feet and causing some of her pink hair to fly back.

"Ooooh you are scary!" she said stepping back and hiding behind her scyth.

A sharp whistle pierced the air, causing both shinobi to look upward to catch sight of the landing Reira. Her blue hair fell about her face as she landed softly in front of Kaisuke, the slender whistle in her hand. Her cold gold eyes stared at the smaller girl, who looked back with excitement.

"Finally!" she said while taking a few paces back. "I've always wanted to fight the 'Chimera' that Yuki-kun talks so much about!" She looked at her with her big green eyes, waiting for a response. None came, she simply glared with her frosty eyes.

"You're not very nice, Chimera-san" her eyes widened as a thought hit her. "Oh! you'd probably want my name huh?" she said while pointing to herself. "I'm Mimi! Yuki-kun's partner!"

Still nothing. Her glossed lips formed a pout and she crossed her arms, her scyth intertwined.

"C'mon I just wanted to play Chimera-san" she whined. She snapped her fingers. "Oh! We have to call that cute partner of yours don't we--?" A kunai point was directly between her eyes, she had moved so fast.

"You'll fight only me" she warned.

"But Chimera-saaaaan" she whined. "If we don't call the cute one..." She flitted beside Kaisuke, her sycth looped around his neck. "I'll have to hurt little brother and I don't want his icky blood on my new outfit"

Reira paused looking at the blade and Kaisuke's throat. Her glare increased as she opened the line.

"Taro--" Mimi jumped forward and covered Reira's mouth.

"Say it real dramatic, like I'm hurting you or something" she said. "Or else I'll hurt Kai-kun" Reira huffed, and cooled herself down in order to play the part.

"Reira? Are you alright?" came Taro's voice.

"Please..." she started. "...Please come Taro..."

"Where are you? Are you hurt?!" He was really worried. Mimi giggled at his reaction, while Reira felt guilty for playing him.

"We're...we're at the south border...It's Akatsuki, Taro..."

"I'm coming!" he said, cutting off the communication. She continued to giggle, obviously happy with his reaction.

There was a loud crack as Reira's fist made immediate contact with the pinkette's nose. She instantly cried out and jumped away from the navy girl, her petite nose dripping with blood.

"You beast of a girl!" she yelped. "You didn't give any sort of warning!" She flitted from view and appeared behind her.

"I'm going to beat your face in," she said. "That a good enough--" she paused to bring her fists up and slam them into her back, sending her to the ground. "--warning?" She used her fishnet hands to push herself up and turn to glare at the Kiri girl.

"You're going to regret that"

... ... ... ...

**R E V I E W!!**


	7. No One Else

_**Bring The Rain**_

_Eternal:_ tada! You're going to find out about the white papers, finally!!

_Disclaimer: _my ideas and characters, original Naruto stuff belongs to Kishimoto

Chapter Six

Taro sprinted for the South border, seeing as his post was at the North he had a bit of distance, but that didn't matter. His brown eyes stared determinely ahead as he ran, he could see the post coming up, just a few meters away. He used some extra chakra and leapt into the air, aiming for the post's ground.

He held onto his hat as he descended, Reira's blue head in sight, along with Kaisuke and some pink haired girl, whom he assumed was the Akatsuki member Reira had told him about. The pink girl was previously glaring at Reira but then turned to look at him, her red lips pulling into a smile that sent chills down his spine.

His feet hit the ground and the girl flitted in front of him. She leaned forward, smiling at him again.

"Hey there cutie" she greeted.

"Get back Taro!!" shouted Reira, her eyes serious. He started to move back, but the girl had grabbed the front of his jacket.

"Do you have to go so soon?" she asked, her voice in a whine. "I'm sure you'd rather stay then listen to that beast of a girl, wouldn't you?"

"Beast?" he couldn't help but ask. A glint appeared in her eyes.

"She didn't tell you?" she teased. "Even Kai-kun knows what she is" He was interested now.

Reira jumped forward, her fist aiming for her head but Mimi leapt out of the way, and she stumbled to halt in order to avoid hitting Taro. She clenched her teeth and pursued the pinkette, her giant shuriken ahead of her, aiming for petite form, but she simply dodged.

"...She's a mutt, a monster..." she listed, her eyes gleaming with the thrill of these names that she was giving the blue haired girl. "...The spawn of two demons..."

"Shut up!!" yelled Reira, sending a kunai in her direction, which detonated when it hit the tree, splintering the wood. Mimi appeared behind her and dug her manicured nails into her hair and dragged her to Taro's feet.

"Her hair matches her father's.." She jerked so Reira's back was arched, and her eyes widened. "As do her eyes...Interesting gold eyes..." she murmurred. The Kiri kunoichi moved her hands and dug her simple nails into her fishnet arm and sent a chakra blast through it, a large and uncontrolled amount. She yelped and let go, giving Reira the chance to jump a safe distance away.

"Is that all you do?" sneered Reira. "Talk your opponets down?" Mimi glared while cradling her chakra burnt arm.

"Ha, I do a bit more Chimera-san" she flitted so she was back in front of Taro. She leaned forward on her tiptoes and locked her lips with his. His eyes widened and he began to panic. He could feel her chakra filling his mouth and overtaking his body. His vision started to spin and the white tags flooded his vision again, with their print still unreadable. His eyelids grew heavy and everything became clouded with the white tags, cloaking everything and all of his senses...

"Taro!!" was the last thing he could recall hearing...

...xxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxWith Yuki at Lair...xxxxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxxxx...

"I have an update Kisame-sama" spoke Yuki, walking toward the slouched figure. There was a growl, not loud but it was still there. "It's about your daughter" Gold eyes flashed and the figure sat up taller, his arms chained behind his back.

"Tell me" he demanded. The white haired boy chuckled.

"You thirst for information on her, don't you Kisame-sama?" he taunted. The growl rose again.

"Don't screw with me, Yukimaru, or I'll kill you myself" he threatened. He smirked.

"If you were true to your word I'd be dead a hundred times over" he gave a small chuckle. "There's no power behind your threats of death, Kisame-sama"

"Tell me about her" he repeated. Yukimaru took a seat in a tall chair and balanced his ankle on his knee, while his hand rested beneath his chin.

"I went to check on your wife as you requested" he sighed. "She leads a normal widow life" Kisame growled at this, baring his shark teeth.

"She is not a widow" he seethed.

"Very well" he shrugged. "And your daughter is currently fighting my partner, Mimi Ruigara. I believe Mimi is using your daughter's newest comrade as her puppet at the moment" He waved his hand and fog appeared in the dark room, keeping form as images danced across it. Reira's picture formed and began to move, as if a movie. Kisame could see that she was in an elaborate courtyard of some sort and fighting by the looks of it.

_"Snap out of it Taro!!"_ she yelled, but the boy struck her again anyway, sending her backwards. She wasn't fighting back. _"I don't want to hurt you!!"_ He didn't seem to care as he backhanded her, sending her to the ground.

He growled at the sight of his daughter being hurt. His chains started to rattle as he tried to free himself, and Yukimaru laughed at his actions. He waved his hand and the movie vanished.

"I'll let you assume the ending, Kisame-sama" He stood up to leave. "Have a nice day" he laughed.

"Damn it all" cursed Kisame, his head low.

...xxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...Back with Everyone...xxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...

"Taro!!" she called, avoiding his jutsu's strike. He didn't answer and pursued her again, his eyes half closed and blank.

"He won't answer you, you stupid mutt!" laughed Mimi, twirling her scyth. "He only hears what I will him to hear. You won't believe the things he's learning about you right now"

Reira ignored her and leapt forward. Her hand grabbed the back of his head and she brought it forward, colliding sharply with hers, his hat falling off from the force.

"Listen to me, Taro!!" she shouted in his face, blood dripping from their foreheads. His eyes flickered but they faded back to blank after a moment. "I know you can hear me if you try!" He pulled back and threw another kunai, which she evaded.

"So try, dammit!!" she yelled, her aggravation growing.

"Reira!" called Kaisuke, from his rooted hold. "Use a lightning jutsu to jostle his brain waves, that should loosen her hold on him!" She nodded and Mimi huffed.

"I knew I should've closed your mouth, Kai-kun" she pouted. More roots came and wraped around his mouth, knocking off his glasses in the process. He growled, now he couldn't see fight, just blurs.

Reira and Taro launched at each other at the same time, she had finished the arangement of katas and dealt him a roundhouse kick that was surging with electricity. He was sent backwards, but had managed to place a bomb tag on the leg that kicked him, which was charged with lightning and triggered the bomb, sending her to the ground as well, her right leg bloody.

"You stupid girl, now look what you've done!" whined Mimi as Taro's eyes reverted to their normal brown color, but then closed due to unconsciousness overwhelming him. She grunted as she threw a giant shuriken at Kaisuke, tearing up the ground and the roots on his right side. He took the chance and freed himself fully, ripping the roots from his arms and mouth.

"The rain Kaisuke!" shouted Reira, blood dripping from her mouth. "Bring the rain!" He nodded and began to form hand signs.

She forced herself to stand and she used her faultering chakra to propel herself toward Taro's limp form, her leg shaking with strain and screaming in protest. She instantly collapsed at his side and pulled him toward herself.

"This isn't over Chimera!" she shouted, losing formality names. She raised her scyth and brought it across her back, a deep slash appearing. Her mouth opened in a cry and closed tightly to keep the other cries silent.

"Rain of a Thousand Needles!" called Kaisuke. Mimi looked up, her eyes wide. Reira used a weak chakra shield to cover Taro, it wasn't intricate or very strong but it would reflect the needles, while her back took the blow. She bowed over his upper half that was resting in her lap and her fingers gripped the grass tightly, uprooting some innocent blades.

The sound of needles roared and even the untrained ear could hear them hitting the ground and the targets along with the unintended. Mimi's high pitched yell echoed throughout the courtyard and the night, as her body fell to the ground, embedded with needles that penterated every exposed pore. Her green eyes were still opened as she laid on the ground, dead.

Kaisuke grabbed his glasses and spotted Reira's hunched over form immediately, cursing as he jumped toward her.

"Reira!" he called, kneeling by her side, gently touching her shoulder. She flinched and her chakra sheild wavered away into nothingness. "Why didn't you protect yourself?!" he demanded, seeing his needles jut from her back, sending little rivlets of blood from each needle, blending with the slash of pouring blood from the scyth.

"As a Chimera..." she coughed. "I shouldn't have protection...but I can...protect others...and it wouldn't matter if I...got hurt..." She coughed again and more blood dripped down her chin, while tears pooled in her golden eyes.

"Dammit.." he mumbled. "I'm going to inform the Mizukage that the mision was completed and that we're leaving." She nodded mutely. His green eyes softened as he brushed her cheek softly. "I'll be back in a moment, okay?" She nodded again and sniffed.

He informed the Mizukage, who thanked him repeatedly, and told him that they were leaving, against his offers of staying. Kaisuke returned to the south courtyard, where Reira was right where he left her. He pulled out the transportaion jutsu paper and knelt beside her, holding her hand as he used his chakra to activate the jutsu, pulling them back home.

Luckily they had landed on the dock, so he didn't have to carry the two of them up. He looked down at Taro and decided to pick him up first, that would make her happy at least. He dropped him on his bed and left the room, not looking back, his mind occupied with thoughts of the bluenette.

"Reira..." he called, to see her still on the floor next to the paper, her blood seeping onto the wood as her body shook. His blonde eyebrows furrowed together in worry as he knelt beside her again. "Come on, let's get your wounds looked at" She looked at him with her gold eyes, brimming with tears. With a sob, she leaned into his arms, her hot tears pouring freely. His heart ached at her pain and gently he picked her up, not bridal style, seeing as that would hurt her back, the way you would carry a child who had fallen down.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." she cried. He placed her gently on her bed and began to remove the needles carefully.

"There's no need to be sorry" he told her, tossing the needles into a trashcan. "You've done nothing wrong" She flinched when he pulled another few out of her skin. A moment later they were gone, and he pulled out a wash cloth along with a first aid kit. She grabbed the edge of her overshirt and pulled it off, tossing it the side, missing the trash can. Then she pulled the back of her tanktop over her head and held it to her front, exposing her full back. He washed away the blood, cleaning the wounds and placed the bandages over her back, one row at a time, not wrapping them around her fully.

"Let me see your leg" he instructed softly. She turned around, her tanktop still bunched up covering her chest, and extended her leg to the best of her pained ability. He waved a chakra infused hand over her leg, healing it slightly. He with drew his hand shaking it a bit.

"I'm sorry, I'm not very good at medical jutsus" he apologized.

"I'm fine now, it doesn't hurt any more" she told him, her eyes focusing on her lap. He sighed and took a seat on the bed next to her.

"Her words hurt you didn't they?" he asked softly. She nodded her blue head. He reached over and pulled her into his lap, while she hid his face in his over coat, she wasn't holding her tanktop tightly to herself which allowed some clevage to show, but tears were falling again and she didn't notice. He rested his chin ontop of her head and allowed her to cry, giving comforting words when need be.

"Am I a monster, Kaisuke?" she cried. His hold tightened as he disagreed.

"Never" he told her. "You are Reira, nothing else"

... ... ... ... ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**R E V I E W!!**


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